Social welfare minister Abu Zafar Md Zahid Hossain on Sunday told Jatiya Sangsad that the Bangladesh government had proposed raising the monthly allowances for widow and destitute women to Tk 700 from Tk 650 and expanding the number of beneficiaries to 30 lakhs from the current 29 lakhs.

A total of Tk 2,535.12 crore had been proposed for the programme in the next fiscal year, he said.

Replying to a question from Gazipur-3 lawmaker SM Rafiqul Islam during the budget session chaired by speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmed, the minister in his written answer also said that the government planned to increase the monthly disability allowance to Tk 1,000 from Tk 900 for 38 lakh beneficiaries.

He said that Tk 4,587.36 crore had been proposed to implement the disability allowance programme.